Moyer makes debut; Utley sits for Sandoval

Jamie Moyer returns to the site of his ML debut when he makes his first start in a Phillies uniform tonight at Wrigley. Chase Utley sits with soreness following yesterday's collision.

The 43-year-old left-hander, acquired Saturday in a trade with Seattle, went 6-12 with a 4.39 ERA in 25 starts. He gets a clean slate tonight when he begins the last leg of his career with his hometown team.

Last night's collision between center fielder Aaron Rowand and second baseman Chase Utley had a ripple effect today, resulting in a 4-to-6 week trip to the DL for Rowand, a night off for Utley, a contract purchase of second baseman Joe Thurston, a recall and cancelled flight to Cuba for Michael Bourn, the acquisition of veteran infielder Jose Hernandez, and a couple thousand bucks floated Pittsburgh's way.

Tonight's lineup has a truly "unique" look, with utility infielder Danny Sandoval starting at second and hitting second behind Shane Victorino. Jimmy Rollins bats third in place of Utley.

For Chicago, 26-year-old left-hander Ryan O'Malley (1-0, 0.00 ERA) gets the nod.

Comments

[Mike H.]

Have you seen the lineup? Walking wounded! J-Roll at #3!

[J. Weitzel]

Sandoval #2!

[MAW]

Let me get this straight, we lost two guys (Gordon and Rowand) to the DL, and added three to the active roster (Bourne, Hernandez, and Thurston)?

Am I missing something, or was there another transaction that happened?

[J. Weitzel]

Don't know if Hernandez has been officially added yet.

[That Dude]

Economical first inning by Moyer!

[That Dude]

From Delaware online...

"CHICAGO – As a precaution, second baseman Chase Utley is being held out of the Phillies’ starting lineup tonight against the Chicago Cubs.

Utley, the Phils’ All-Star second baseman, was involved in a violent collision with center fielder Aaron Rowand during the eighth inning of Monday night’s 6-5 victory here. Rowand suffered a season-ending, broken left ankle.

Somehow, Utley emerged unscathed, save for some soreness to his right ankle and shin.

“I was a little sore right after it happened, and when I woke up this morning, I felt it more,” Utley said. “But I don’t think it’s going to be that big of a deal. My right ankle is a little tender. That’s all. It’s definitely not as bad as Row’s ankle.”

Utley said he most likely will play Wednesday night against the Cubs and said he is available to pinch-hit tonight if manager Charlie Manuel needs him."

[dane]

thats good news. the hernandez trade had me a little scared

[dane]

the reds are crushing the astros tonight

[Mike H.]

This run support probably fits Jamie Moyer like a 15 year old suit that actually wears well.

[J. Weitzel]

Moyer looks happy to be out there. Not like the picture seen above, where he looks like he's spent the last 13 years in a holding cell.

He kind of reminds me of the neighborhood soda jerk. Life is just swell.

[Mike H.]

Seattle has been called worse...

[That Dude]

no matter what we do those frickin Reds wont lose.

[RickSchuBlues]

They will, dude, they will. The Reds aren't exactly a juggernaut. If that's the best competition, maybe we can pull this off after all.

[RickSchuBlues]

Anyone else irritated by the endless parade of random crowd shots on the Cubs telecast?

[MG]

There is not a whole lot else to highlight RSB if you are a Cubs fan. Shots of the crowd are probably one of the prettier things you will see at Wrigley Field this season.

[Mike H.]

Someone forgot to tell Juan Pierre he doesn't play for the Marlins anymore. Just like 2003-05 as he sticks it to the Phils...

[Mike H.]

Yeah, dude... when they head out west, we're going to see the real Reds...

[MG]

Would have been nice if the Phils could have picked up someone with a little more pop than Hernandez. He hits the occasional HR but not much else. Still, I guess he is an upgrade over Sandoval.

[Jon]

Nice AB by Burrell. He is having some real quality at-bats lately.

Dellucci proving he is clutch once again!

[Mike H.]

Dellucci did it against a left-hander, too, a supposed no-no. PG has got to throw this guy the money he deserves.

"Adios, Mendoza" says Muñez...

14-0, Reds.

[That Dude]

Is it me or has Pat the bat come out of his shell?

[That Dude]

bad news: Redskins got TJ Duckett and Ashely lelie went to the Falcons in a 3 way trade. Your random Eagle moment is over, now back to the Jamie Moyer Show.

[bloodstripes]

Pat the Bat is on the way back. Sandoval and Nunez have broken above .200. Its all coming together.

[Jon]

The Muts just acquired Shawn Green...

[Mike H.]

I think Pat genuinely likes the fact that Utley now leads the team, and that he is comfortable one of the "top lieutenants." I think they are drinking buddies... thought I saw Flickr photos of them together.

[RickSchuBlues]

I agree, Burrell has come to life lately. It's good, because they really need him.

Think Mathieson would have given the Phils 3 ER in 6 IP? Moyer was a *solid* pickup.

[bloodstripes]

Yeah good to see Moyer off to a good start. I hope the bullpen can get it together tonight.

[gr]

thanks, pat. old habits are hard to break, buddy.

[Mike H.]

Even if you want to revisit the Lidle/Moyer debate, the pitching performance was the same, but the character and guts of Moyer is going to pay dividends in that clubhouse.

[Davthom73]

Danny Sandoval has two hits in three at bats tonight, bringing his BA up about 70 points. Where Sandoval will be after the smoke clears from the current flurry of transactions/roster moves remains to be seen, but lets not forget that Sandoval won the International League batting title last season. If all Nunez needed was some regular playing time to start hitting like he did last year with the Cardinals, what about giving the same general slack to Sandoval, during Ultley's temporary absence, before we start embracing discards from other clubs who, by definition, have been passed through waivers by all MLB clubs.

[gr]

and that's just one of many reasons dusty baker won't be back next year. stealing third with your best hitter at the plate?

[MAW]

Wow, that attempted steal was something that Cholly would try.

[RickSchuBlues]

What's amazing is that same thing happened last night - attempted steal of third with two outs. Believe me, the manager's not ordering those plays. But he should be making it known they aren't too smart.

[RickSchuBlues]

Davthom, you're the eternal champion of the underdog.

[RickSchuBlues]

Davthom, you're the eternal champion of the underdog.

[bloodstripes]

What were Sandovals numbers as the IL batting champ?

[J. Weitzel]

I've been a Sandoval backer for some time, but the role the Phils are trying to fill is that of an experienced right-handed bat off the bench, someone that has seen pitchers before and is comfortable stepping into a big AB.

It's not unusual to keep two infielders for the bench, which is how the Phils started the season, with Nunez in a "Sandoval" role, and Gonzalez in a "Hernandez" role, or like a "Ramon Marinez" role.

The odd man could be just about anyone, even Roberson. The feeling here is it will either be Sandoval or Thurston. Thurston may have been purchased simply as short-term insurance for Utley.

[RickSchuBlues]

oops

[gr]

ok, so who pitches the 9th? rhodes is not a back to back night guy, cholly has said or alluded to at least. geary?

[MAW]

On the radio, they said it would be Madson in the 9th.

[gr]

or madson, he was off last night.

[gr]

hello, bullpen committee.

[RickSchuBlues]

In that case, let's...get...some...runs!

[bloodstripes]

Can't that little man Castro pitch? All he does is get guys out. Geez maybe its too risky.

[gr]

castro tossing in the pen!

[Davthom73]

Source, Phillies Media Guide at page 143: Danny Sandoval "(b)egan the season with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (AAA) and won the International League batting crown with a .331 average . . . Became the first Red Baron to win the crown and set a club record . . led all IL shortstops in fielding % (.976) . . .finished 7th in the Il in OBP (.379)."

The year before, in the tough AA Texas League, Sandoval led the Texas League with 169 hits, while batting .319 (second in the TL) in 133 games, 530 at bats, with 8 HR's, 66 RBI's, with 22 stolen bases.

[bloodstripes]

Thanks Davthom.

Impressive seasons. He oughtta make good in the bigs.

[gr]

ugh

[Jon]

Nice scrappy win for the Phils. Nice effort by Moyer. He is definitely an upgrade over Mathieson at this point. Let's go 3 for 3 against the Cubbies tomorrow and hope the Reds go down!

[gr]

thank you, jamie moyer!

[bloodstripes]

and the Phils win with another dodgy save.

[MAW]

"Put this one in the win column for the Phightin' Phils" is probably the best eleven-word phrase in the English language.

[Mike H.]

No, the best 11 word phrase is "The Philadelphia Phillies Win the World Series! Now where's the Yuengling?"

[Bob D]

Wow, castro warming up in pen in ninth. Castro for closer!!!

[bloodstripes]

LOL.

[bloodstripes]

For sure Bob. Phils future closer = Fabio Castro

[RickSchuBlues]

These are nice wins to be getting while they're so short-handed. Cubs are brutal, but I'll take it.

[bloodstripes]

Reds only 1 game behind St Louis now. Maybe the Phils will pass them in the WC race. Their playing crappy ball and look like going down.

[J. Weitzel]

Davthom73 believed in Coste when no one would, and all he's done is bat .370 and hit in the clutch. Now he's making the pitch for Sandoval to stick around. Watch your back, Chase!

[Lake Fred]

Well, tonight we can say the Phillies have a winning record. Tomorrow night the game is on WGN, so fans in the outpost camps like me with cable TV can actually see a Phillies game. Life is sweet!

[Tim]

neither coste or sandoval can be anygood because local media say so.

[Mike H.]

neither Coste or Sandoval are good because Eskin told me to believe that...

[clout]

davthom: Sandoval is 27, old for AAA, and is not on any prospect list I can find. Are you predicting .300 with 20 HRs as you have for Coste?

Moyer may have given the team a nice psychological lift with his effort tonight.

[Mike H.]

I was just going to ask where you were tonight, Clout. What did you think of tonight's game?

[MG]

Moyer did exactly what they acquired him for . . . keep them close and let the offense take over. The past month if the Phils' pitching can hold the opposing team to 5 runs or less, they simply outslug the other team.

[MG]

If will be pretty funny if a 44-year old starter and the "Donut-Eater" carry this team into the playoffs. No way anyone could have seen this 3 weeks ago. T

[seth.]

Well MG, John Titor (www.johntitor.com) saw it coming. But of course, he'd seen it before. The rest of us are amazed at, and excited for, this team.

[Davthom73]

Unfortunately, Clout, I don't think Phillies management will give Sandoval the chance at this point, perhaps bringing him back after the 40-man active roster kicks in on September 1st. And that eill be a shame, as far as I'm concerned. But what I don't understand is why Sandoval has not been considered a "prospect", when (at age 26) in 2005, Sandoval won the International League batting title in AAA, and (at age 25) in 2004, Sandoval finished second in the AA Texas League batting title race, leading the TL in hits. The guy led all IL shortstops in fielding percentage last year, so his defense is solid. Sandoval has been given very few ML starts, and this year still has been given only 26 at bats in 19 games. Most of Sandoval's at bats have been in games in which he has had only one at bat. Obviously its hard for any hitter to get the bat going under those circumstances.

[Lake Fred]

I guess J-Roll is blocking his progress to the bigs as a starter. Maybe he would be trade bait for a right-handed outfielder with power in the offseason.

[clout]

davthom: I'm guessing the main problem with Sandoval is age. In each of his past 2 very good minor league years he would've been among the oldest players in the league. It took him 4 full seasons to graduate from the AA level and this is his 4th organization in 4 years. At this point, rightly or wrongly, he's probably viewed as Triple-A filler.

[Bob D]

It maybe Thurston who gets sent back. Roberson is an outside possibility but he is a very good fielder than the other choices.

Was Manual actually gonna use Castro there in the 9th or was he just getting in some work?

[J. Weitzel]

They optioned Bourn, who never arrived to the game in time anyway. That's not even a cup of coffee. That's a bag of airline peanuts.

[Drama Queen]

Adding to the Legend & Lore of Fabio "Model Dictator" Castro- indeed he is a future Phils closer.

*I hope that brought some levity to this board!

[Drama Queen]

Weitz- can't serve nuts on planes anymore due to allergies...crazy ain't it?!

[J. Weitzel]

Queen: Thanks for the clarification. Swap peanuts with mini-pretzels.

And with that, Beerleaguer dialogue reaches an all-time low.

[Lake Fred]

I saw Ozzie Smith this morning on Fox and Friends. DHL and MLB have a Hometown Heroes contest where you can vote for your team's hometown heroes. For the Phillies our choices are Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton, Robin Roberts, Chuck Klein and Richie Ashburn. I went back in time and looked at the records of Ed Delahanty and Grover Cleveland Alexander, also, great Phillies of old left off the list. Here's my take on these guys:

Mike Schmidt - His numbers are misleading because by today's standards they don't look good, but many of those low homerun totals lead the league each year.

Richie Ashburn - According to my Dad, Richie was a master hitter, had great speed, and was a great fielder. I liked him as a radio guy, but his numbers pale against the competition.

Chuck Klein - He had good numbers for five consecutive years from 1929 through 1933, then he went to the Cubs. Each of those years he had at least 200 hits, 100 runs, 120 RBIs and his lowest BA was .337. Good numbers but lacks greatness over the long haul.

Ed Delahanty - had 10 great seasons from 1892 through 1901. He batted over .300 all those years, including three seasons over .400, and at least 90 RBIs each year. It's hard to judge the numbers because the seasons were shorter, but he was a great hitter.

Of these four hitters, it's between Schmidt and Delahanty. I grew up with Schmidt striking out all the time, so I'd vote for Delahanty, but he's not on the ballot.

I'll give my opinions on the pitchers in a later post.

[ae]

no question it's Schmidt...

Ashburn is underrated like any leadoff hitter not named Henderson, and was a terrific defender, but he isn't in the same class as the others.

Klein and Delahanty were ridiculous hitters, but they both played in times when ridiculous hitting was expected: in 1894, when Delahanty hit .407, the league batting average was .309; in 1930, when Klein hit .386, the league average was .303. Delahanty gets more credit, as he continued to hit even after the offensive explosion of the 1890s - if it wasn't for the self-destructive streak that led him to fall over Niagara Falls while drunk, his numbers might be even more impressive. but for all of Delahanty's impressive batting averages, he won only one batting title. not that he wasn't a great hitter, but context is essential.

Schmidt also put up consistently impressive offensive numbers (top 5 in OPS every year from 1974 to 1986, including 5 OPS titles; top 4 in HR every year from 1974 to 1986 including 8 HR titles) in a much different (and more challenging) era, he also won 10 Gold Gloves. obviously there were no Gold Gloves when Klein and Delahanty were around, but neither were of Schmidt's caliber. he's much more of a complete player than anyone else on that list.

[Lake Fred]

Here's my pitcher reviews:

Steve Carleton - Most longevity with Phils from 1972 through 1986. Had five 20 win seasons with Phils, plus a 20 loss season in 1973. In 1972 he won the pitcher's triple crown of wins, strikeouts and ERA for a terrible team with a losing record. Team won 59 games, Carlton won 27 of them. Despite his many Cy Young awards, his Phillies career also had a lot of mediocre seasons.

Robin Roberts - He had six consecutive 20 win seasons from 1950 through 1955. In 1956 he won 19 games. Except for the 1950 Whiz Kids, the Phils were a middle of the pack team finishing anywhere from 3rd through 5th between 1951 and 1956, three times below .500. He continued with the Phillies through 1961, never winning 20 games again.

Grover Cleveland Alexander - Was one of the greatest pitchers of all time. He spent his best years with the Phils from 1911 through 1917. In 1912 he won only 19 games, his worst season during that stretch. He won over thirty games for three years straight from 1915 through 1917. He won the pitching triple crown for all three of those years. He also lead the league in wins and Ks in 1914. In 1918, he no longer was with the Phillies, pitching for the Cubs.

This is a tougher category as good cases can be made for all three. In my opinion I vote Alexander 1st, Roberts 2nd and Carleton 3rd, but all three are deserving of the best Phillies pitcher award.

[Lake Fred]

Has this site died? No new postings in awhile. Usually, the lunchtime crowd has something to say. Where's the talk about tonight's game with Myers pitching?

[Casey]

Thanks for the breakdowns, LF.

What I wondered is why Dick Allen isn't on the list. He posted six great seasons for the Phils, including an incredible rookie campaign that would have propelled just about any team but the Phillies to the playoffs.

[Emerson]

Reds getting beat up in the 7th. Franklin taking the beating...

[Lake Fred]

Casey, Dick Allen's big six seasons (1964-1969) don't compare with the other hitters. He hit over .300 for the first four years. He hit 40 homers once, 100 RBIs just once, and 100 runs twice. He had a lot of promise, but was never able to string together a number of consecutive great years.

[Dick Richards]

As I recall, about 15 years ago Bill James set out to create a formula to find the best center-fielder of all time. He ran the numbers and the answer was Richie Ashburn. James thought there was something wrong with his formula so he adjusted it and ran the numbers again. The answer this time was Richie Ashburn. The third time the answer was also Richie Ashburn. So...

[Lake Fred]

That's interesting, Dick, about Ashburn. We'll have to research that some more. Gotta go.

[Dick Richards]

Lake Fred -- wish I could remember where I read the article by James. It was probably in one of his books or in a rotisserie baseball get-ready-for-the-season book about 15 years ago.

[Lake Fred]

Dick, check out this site: http://www.thebaseballpage.com/positions/rankings/CF.php

According to this Bill James ranked him 16 in 2001. He must've changed his formula. James now has Mats, Cobb and Mantle as the top three. I'll continue looking.

[Lake Fred]

Mats = Mays. I need to type better.

[Lake Fred]

While searching, I found this great Ashburn anecdote:

One day in 1962, New York Mets centerfielder Richie Ashburn learned to scream "Yo La Tengo!" ("I got it" in Spanish) in order to prevent collisions with Venezuelan-born shortstop Elio Chacon. During a game a few days later, Ashburn exclaimed "Yo La Tengo!" - and was promptly hammered by an English-speaking teammate - rightfielder Frank Thomas.

[Dick Richards]

Lake Fred -- yeah, I saw that page. My apologies, but I left out an important detail in my first note. The James article was about defense - the greatest defensive center-fielder. James thought going in that it would be Mays.

I do recall Richie's Spanish language adventure with Thomas, and he told that story many times. Richie got my vote in the Hometown Hero thing. I loved watching the guy play. And I think that, although he was from Nebaska, he was the quintessential Philly hero - someone who got absolutely everything out of what he had to work with and left it all on the field.